APC forms seven-member panel to conduct governorship screening ceremony

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has inaugurated a seven-member governorship screening committee to screen aspirants ahead of the party’s primary election in Ondo State slated for 25 April.

Nze Duru, the party’s Deputy National Organising Secretary, inaugurated the committee on behalf of its NWC on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Duru tasked its members to undertake the exercise with necessary diligence, discipline and friendliness.

He said the committee had to work round the clock to complete the exercise within the projected time frame, adding that the Appeal Committee would commence work immediately after the screening of the aspirants.

“For us at the secretariat, we will also help you to midwife most of the things that will be required, and then hand it over to the appeal committee.

“The committee at this moment stands inaugurated. I wish you the very best of luck.

“We will support you in any way you need assistance in the process,” Mr Duru said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the screening committee is headed by a former Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Joshua Lidani, while a former member of the House of Representatives, Bimbo Daramola, is its secretary.

Other members of the committee are: Jones Erue, Second Bakor, Magaret Duru, Chukwudi Ledirick, a professor, and Abdul Balogun.

Appeal committee

Also inaugurated was a five-member Appeal Committee, which has the senator representing Kogi Central, Oseni Yakubu, as chairman.

Other members of the appeal committee are: Emmanuel Ekeh, Pious Idele and Ibrahim Dosara.

The members of the two committees took their oaths of office.

Mr Duru, while addressing journalists after inaugurating the committees, said the screening of aspirants before every primary election was compulsory in line with the party’s Constitution.

“You are chosen to partake in the screening of the 16 aspirants who purchased the party’s Nomination and Expression of Interest forms to contest its primaries in the Ondo State governorship election.

“We believe you will conduct the exercise with due diligence, discipline and also fairness that the work demands.

“Unfortunately, I don’t envy you because it was meant to be a two-day exercise but an additional day was added to the Eid-el-Fitr holiday, so we had to compress the two days into one.

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“This means you will work round the clock to complete the exercise within the time-frame that we projected,” the APC deputy national organising secretary said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed the off-cycle Ondo State governorship election for 16 November.

Abdulkarim Kana, a professor and APC’s National Legal Adviser, on 29 March, directed the 16 governorship aspirants to submit their credentials and other documents for vetting.

He said the vetting process entailed sighting of physical documents, credentials and others, adding that due diligence would be observed during the exercise.

Mr Kana said that the process was critical for a thorough report to the party’s screening committee.

NAN recalls that the party sold its nomination form for N10 million while its expression of interest form was sold for N40 million for male governorship aspirants.

Female aspirants and persons with disabilities paid N10 million for the expression of interest forms while the nomination form was free for them.